6 of the Best Adventurous Summer Camps for Kids and Teenagers Abroad

Looking for something fun for your son or daughter to do during their summer holidays? Here are 6 of the best adventure camps for kids and teenagers abroad.

If your teenager has a thirst for adventure and loves all things outdoors, an adventure summer camp might be just the thing to do this summer. By doing an adventure camp abroad your teenager can make friends from all over the world, gain invaluable life experiences and maybe even learn a new language.

This family-run adventure camp in Scotland’s first National Park promises a minimum of 30 hours of adventure activities a day. Activities include canoeing, orienteering, forest walks, gorge walking and weaselling, where campers explore caves, tunnels and holes in the natural landscape of the area.

Every evening there is entertainment organised such as a Scottish ceilidh, a fashion show and a circus night.

Each week there are three excursions organised. On Saturdays and Sundays there are full-day excursions and on Wednesdays, there is a half day excursion. The excursions are to different parts of Scotland like Glasgow, Edinburgh or a trip to Loch Lomond.

The rooms are dorm style rooms that sleep 4-8 campers. There are two wings of the house, one for boys and one for girls.

There is a pick-up service from Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. Glasgow is the closest. If arriving outside of the standard arrival times contact AHISS to ensure pick-up is possible. There is a charge for the transfer service outside of the standard arrival times.

2. York, England

This programme promises to challenge mind, body and spirit. There is a mix of on and off-site activities including canoeing, kayaking, raft building, high ropes, gorge walking, team sports and competitive games.

In the evenings there will be a number of different activities such as a team competition night, an international night and a party on the last night with an award ceremony.

There will be two excursions during the camp. One is to Manchester, where there will be opportunities to do Laserquest, bowling and go to the cinema. The other excursion is to York to see the historic walled city.

The camp is based in a college where students will share an apartment between 5. All apartments are en-suite.

Leeds-Bradford and Manchester are the two closest airports. There is a direct train from Manchester or the camp will organise a pick-up form Leeds-Bradford or other airports and train stations on request.

4. Santa Cruz, Torres Verdas, Portugal

Outdoor activities include mountain biking, hiking, paintballing, surfing and paddleboarding. There will be an excursion which could be to Lisbon, Obidos (one of the ‘7 Wonders of Portugal) or dolphin watching in Setubal.

In the evenings there will be a variety of activities including a talent show, a carnival night, a campfire and a board game night to name a few.

The accommodation is in holiday apartments a 15-minute walk to the beach and Santa Cruz town. All apartments are en-suite and accommodate 4-6 campers.

Santa Cruz is an hour north of Lisbon. There is a transfer service organised by Village Camps for flights arriving between 8.00-20.00 and departing between 8.00-20.00. It costs €75 one way or €150 return.

The outdoor activities on this camp include rock-climbing, hiking, mountain-biking, a ropes course, white-water rafting (15+). There are educational workshops focusing on the Alpine environment, orienteering and on outdoor survival skills like fire and shelter-building.

For indoor activities, Leysin has two state-of-the-art sports centres. In the evenings there will be activities such as a talent show and an international cuisine night.

The highlight of the two weeks in the scenic trek high into the Alps where campers will stay overnight at a mountain hut in Lac Lioson above the village Les Mosses. Here there will be a campfire and games.

Campers stay at the Village Camps’ Swiss Alpine Centre. Here they will stay in bedrooms of 3-4. In the centre, there is also a lounge area and a dining facility.

The closest airport to Leysin is Geneva airport. From here there is a transfer service organised by Village Camps arriving between 9.00-20.00 and departing between 10.00-20.00. This costs approx. €86 one way or €172 return.